Performing Ireland exhibition at NUI Galway
Saileóg O’Halloran and Niamh Lunny from the Abbey Theatre’s costume department put the final touches to costumes in preparation for the launch of Performing Ireland 1904 to 2014 at NUI Galway.The exhibition includes the first digitised items from the NUI Galway & Abbey Theatre Digital Archive project.
Launched as part of our 110th anniversary celebrations this year, Performing Ireland 1904 to 2014 tells the story of the Abbey Theatre from its foundation by W.B. Yeats and Lady Gregory in 1904 through to its work today. It offers a unique insight into Irish life on and off stage over the past 110 years. This exhibition also showcases digitised artefacts from the initial phase of the NUI Galway & Abbey Theatre Digital Archive project, a landmark moment in the digitisation process.
The Abbey Theatre Archive contains over one million items including master programmes, press cuttings, video recordings, scripts, posters, production handbills, photographs, music scores, audio files, minute books, costume and set designs and administrative records. It is the largest digitised theatre archive in the world. It will take three years to digitise the full archive which is estimated to be completed in September 2015.
Minister Ruairí Quinn, Minister for Education launched Performing Ireland 1904 to 2014 on Thursday on 1 May 2014. It is housed in NUI Galway’s new Hardiman Research Building for humanities and social sciences and can be viewed until October next.